


Brazen

by lunarsunset



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, No happy ending here, emotional distress, gavin reed has horrible habits, nines is distressed, non-descript abuse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-24
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2020-01-31 08:45:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18587782
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lunarsunset/pseuds/lunarsunset
Summary: RK900 struggles to understand Gavin Reed, his habits, and his feelings on said habits.





	Brazen

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't written in ages and the draft for this is from September,,,, I knew I was going somewhere with it but I have long forgotten where, and decided to make it a... character study of sorts? I am reluctant to continue it as I can't remember where I wanted this to go, but I do want a happy ending of sorts, I'm in pain after writing something so... dismal ;; Feedback/constructive criticism is greatly appreciated!

RK900 noticed the first time he set foot inside his appointed precinct. Something was… _Off_ , about Detective Reed. He didn’t carry himself the same way other officers with his rank did, but he didn’t slink away from people either. He bit back, bit out of nowhere really. RK900 found himself drawn in, and he felt quite poetic when it occurred to him that as a moth to a flame, he was inevitably going to get burnt and crumble to dust.

 

The first time RK900 saw a bruise peek out above the collar of Reeds jacket, he asked. After getting Reed to the hospital to treat his broken knuckles, he didn’t ask again. Simply observed. He did ask RK800, designated _Connor,_ about it, but he told him not to bother. That Reed probably had it coming.

 

A month later, when Gavin- correction _Reed_ , showed up late for the first time since being partnered with RK900, he asked again. Reeds eyes were empty and red, and RK900 didn’t need his scanners to tell that the man had been through a particularly rough night. Getting a mere scowl in reply, RK insisted Reed at least allow him to clean and bandage his knuckles. Reed went to protest, but the complaints died down in his throat as RK pulled him along by his jackets left sleeve. RK900 lead them to force medical examiners office. It was empty, but the android had programming for times like these. Gavins- **correction _Reeds_** , hands were softer than RK had previously pre-constructed they would be, all things considered. Colder too, and he found himself wishing for better things on the detectives behalf. Expressed such wishes too, only to get averted eyes and a scoff in response.

 

The bruises showed up again. RK, designated _Nines_ , because “you can’t expect me to treat you like a person if you don’t have a fuckin’ name”, used his scanners in ways Cyberlife probably hadn’t guessed he would, and the results told him they were different hands from last time. He felt his jaw clench shut, and wondered if he was experiencing something akin to the human emotion _ANGER_. His LED stayed warning-sign yellow the entire shift.

 

Reed showed up late, showed up with different marks. Didn’t show up. Connor had been messaging RK about how while he was an android, it was still of upmost importance to keep his stress levels down. That he didn’t know what he would do if something was to happen to his dear friend. Cyberlife stated androids couldn’t feel pain. Nines wondered what he was feeling when looking at the empty chair across his, _their,_ desk, if it wasn’t pain? Connor gave him a look he didn’t understand, couldn’t understand, wasn’t _programmed_ to understand. Sympathy perhaps? He knew Connor wasn’t programmed to feel sympathy, but neither was Nines programmed to feel pain.

 

After nearly a week of empty chairs and cold coffee, Fowler commanded Nines go to Reeds apartment and get his partner to “pull his shit together”. He kept running diagnostics, and they kept coming back blank. Nines couldn’t work out why it felt like his thirium pump was malfunctioning. He took a deep, albeit unnecessary, breath to calm himself and knocked on the door. Side-effect of being alive, he supposed. A string of muffled expletives could be heard on the other side of the door. Nines knocked politely again, back straight and hands fidgeting. Nothing. After a third round of knocking, the need to knock the door down became unprecedented. He found Gavin on the floor of his living room. Nines couldn’t figure out why the human choose to sit on the floor in front of the couch instead of _in_ the couch. He found humans could be… unpredictable. Bloodshot, weary eyes hadn’t been unpredicted, but it still had him running diagnostics.


End file.
